SC - An Ordinary Potage

[Christine A Seelye-King]

We did this one for the Friday night traveller's fare for our last
Midwinter Arts and Sciences.  We posted the documentation for this one
and for the Bruette Saake (from 2 15th Century), along with the Barley
Potttage we did, and everyone was blown away that Friday night's food was
1)delicious 2)documented 3) entered in the next day's competition!  Argue
that Digbie is out of period if you will, but this is definately Beef
Stew.
	Christianna

>From "The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie, Kt. 
Opened: etc"  Pub. posthumously by his son, 1669.  Pg. 124
An Ordinary Potage  

Take the fleshy and sinewy part of a leg of Beef, crag-ends of necks of
Veal and Mutton.  Put them in a ten quarts pot, and fill it up with
water. 
Begin to boil about six a clock in the Morning, to have your potage ready
by Noon.  When it is well skimmed, put in two or three large Onions in
quarters, and half a loaf (in one lump) of light French bread, or so much
of the bottom crust of a Venison Pasty; all which will be at length clean
dissolved in the broth.  In due time season it with Salt, a little
Pepper, and a very few Cloves.  Likewise at a fit distance, before it be
ended boiling, put in store of good herbs, as in Summer, Borrage,
Bugloss, Purslain, Sorel, Lettice, Endive, and what else you like; in
Winter, Beetes,  Endive, Parsley-roots, Cabbage, Carrots, whole Onions,
Leeks, and what you can get or like, with a little Sweet-marjoram and
exeeding  little Thyme.  Order it so that the broth be very strong and
good.  To which end you mnay after four hours (or three) boil a Hen or
Capon in it; light French-bread sliced, must be taken about noon, and
tosted a little before the fire, or crusts of crisp new French-bread; lay
it in a dish, and pour some of the broth upon it, and let it stew a while
upon a Chafing-dish.  Then pour in more Broth, and if you have a Fowl,
lay it upon the bread in the broth, and fillit up with broth, and lay the
herbs and roots all over and about it, and let it stew a little longer,
and serve it up covered, after you have squeesed some juyce of Orange or
Limon, or put some Verjuyce into it.  Or you may  beat two or three Eggs,
with part of the broth, and some Verjuyce, or juyce of Orange, and then
mingle it with the rest of the broth.  

Barley Potage  (page 125)

Take half a pound of French-barley, and wash it in three or four
hot-waters; then tye it up in a course linnen-cloth and strike it five or
six blows against the table; for this will make it very tender.  Put it
into such a pot full of meat and water, as is said int he ordinary
potage, after it is skimmed; and season this with Salt, Spice, Marjoram,
and Thyme, as you did the other.  An hour before you take it from the
fire, put into it a pound of the best Raisins of the Sun well washed; at
such a distance of time, that they may be well plumped and tender, but
not boiled to mash.  When the broth is enough boiled and consumed, and
very strong, pour some of it upon sliced dry bread in a deep potage-dish,
or upon crusts, and let it stew a while.  Then pour on all the rest of
the broth, with the barley and Raisins, upon a Capon or Hen, or piece of
Mutton or Veal; and let it mittonner a while upon the Chafing-dish, then
serve it in.  
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